Hollywood is pretty good at ruining our childhoods with sequels, reboots, and 'gritty' adaptations of books, cartoons, shows, and movies we all loved as kids. After a recent fiasco we shall call 'Terminator: Genisys' for the purposes of convenience (our review), here is the recently-released trailer for Goosebumps, based on the children's horror stories by American author R.L. Stine. Aimed primarily at children between the ages of 8 and 12, Stine's books have also been read widely in India.
In this upcoming movie adaptation, Zach Cooper (Dylan Minnette) becomes friends with Hannah (Odeya Rush), his neighbour. Her father is the mysterious, grumpy writer R.L. Stine himself (played by Jack Black). Stine keeps all the ghosts and monsters in his series in books that are locked up. However, when Zach stumbles upon Stine's secret library and opens one of his books, his words magically transform into the scary monsters they describe, which soon overrun the small town they live in.
The first thing that strikes one about this trailer is how it recalls the 1994 movie Jumanji, which featured late comedic actor Robin Williams in the lead. Its premise — about an old, magical board game that would bring horrifying creatures and situations to life — doesn't seem all that different. Goosebumps also comes across as a lost film from the '90s, featuring a very John Hughes (Home Alone) brand of slapstick and a trailer voice-over, which is rare in today's times.
Perhaps it's a deliberately meta and self-aware attempt to pay tribute to Stine's work, rather than adapt it directly to the screen?
The film, directed by Rob Letterman (Shark Tale) releases worldwide in October (16th, says its Wikipedia page) so we'll definitely find out then.
![]()
Like Us On Facebook |
![]()
Follow Us On Twitter |
![]()
Contact HuffPost India
In this upcoming movie adaptation, Zach Cooper (Dylan Minnette) becomes friends with Hannah (Odeya Rush), his neighbour. Her father is the mysterious, grumpy writer R.L. Stine himself (played by Jack Black). Stine keeps all the ghosts and monsters in his series in books that are locked up. However, when Zach stumbles upon Stine's secret library and opens one of his books, his words magically transform into the scary monsters they describe, which soon overrun the small town they live in.
The first thing that strikes one about this trailer is how it recalls the 1994 movie Jumanji, which featured late comedic actor Robin Williams in the lead. Its premise — about an old, magical board game that would bring horrifying creatures and situations to life — doesn't seem all that different. Goosebumps also comes across as a lost film from the '90s, featuring a very John Hughes (Home Alone) brand of slapstick and a trailer voice-over, which is rare in today's times.
Perhaps it's a deliberately meta and self-aware attempt to pay tribute to Stine's work, rather than adapt it directly to the screen?
The film, directed by Rob Letterman (Shark Tale) releases worldwide in October (16th, says its Wikipedia page) so we'll definitely find out then.
Like Us On Facebook | 
Follow Us On Twitter | 
Contact HuffPost India